"Say: O people! This is the Hand of God, which hath ever been above your own hands, could ye but understand. Within its grasp We have ordained all the good of the heavens and the earth, such that no good shall be made manifest but that it proceedeth therefrom. Thus have We made it the source and treasury of all good both aforetime and hereafter. Say: The rivers of divine wisdom and utterance which flowed through the Tablets of God are joined to this Most Great Ocean, could ye but perceive it, and whatever hath been set forth in His Books hath attained its final consummation in this most exalted Word -- a Word shining above the horizon of the Will of the All-Glorious in this Revelation which hath filled with delight all things seen and unseen."
Comments:
• A reminder that the “Hand of God”, as represented by His Manifestation, is “above” the “hands” of people. This is very comforting and reassuring!
• Furthermore, we are being educated in this paragraph that Baha’u’llah has “ordained” within the grasp of the Manifestation of God “all the good of the heavens and the earth”, and that the Manifestation of God is “the source and treasury of all good” for present, past and future. Also, knowing that “no good shall be made manifest” unless it “proceedeth” from the Manifestation of God. These are all very interesting concepts and realities to reflect on. They will enrich our overall attitude towards life and people.
• Let’s do some reflection on the phrase: “The rivers of divine wisdom and utterance which flowed through the Tablets of God are joined to this Most Great Ocean ..”. In one of His Tablets Baha’u’llah explains that:
The river Jordan is joined to the Most Great Ocean, and the Son, in the holy vale, crieth out: 'Here am I, here am I, O Lord, my God!', whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: 'He Who is the Desired One is come in His transcendent majesty.' Say, Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: ' Ye cannot bear it now. ' And when the appointed time was fulfilled and the Hour had struck, the Word shone forth above the horizon of the Will of God. Beware, O followers of the Son, that ye cast it not behind your backs. Take ye fast hold of it. Better is this for you than all that ye possess. (Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 11)
The Guardian elaborates: “And finally, in several passages addressed to the entire body of the followers of Jesus Christ He identifies Himself with the ‘Father’ spoken of by Isaiah, with the ‘Comforter’ Whose Covenant He Who is the Spirit (Jesus) had Himself established, and with the ‘Spirit of Truth’ Who will guide them ‘into all truth’; proclaims His Day to be the Day of God; announces the conjunction of the river Jordan with the ‘Most Great Ocean’; asserts their heedlessness as well as His own claim to have opened unto them ‘the gates of the kingdom’; affirms that the promised ‘Temple’ has been built ‘with the hands of the will’ of their Lord, the Mighty, the Bounteous; bids them ‘rend the veils asunder,’ and enter in His name His Kingdom; recalls the saying of Jesus to Peter; and assures them that, if they choose to follow Him, He will make them to become ‘quickeners of mankind.’” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 210)
"Regarding your questions: There is no record in history, or in the teachings, of a Prophet similar in Station to Bahá'u'lláh, having lived 500,000 years ago. There will, however, be one similar to Him in greatness after the lapse of 500,000 years, but we cannot say definitely that His Revelation will be inter-planetary in scope. We can only say that such a thing may be possible. What Bahá'u'lláh means by His appearance in 'other worlds' He has not defined, as we could not visualize them in our present state, hence He was indefinite, and we cannot say whether He meant other planets or not..." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 24, 1941; Lights of Guidance, p. 471)
"Bahá'u'lláh is not the Intermediary between other Manifestations and God. Each has His own relation to the Primal Source. But in the sense that Bahá'u'lláh is the greatest Manifestation to yet appear, the One Who consummates the Revelation of Moses. He was the One Moses conversed with in the Burning Bush. In other words Bahá'u'lláh identifies the Glory of God-Head on that occasion with Himself. No distinction can be made amongst the Prophets in the sense that They all proceed from One Source, and are of One Essence. But their stations and function in this world are different." (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, October 19, 1947; Lights of Guidance, p. 471)
We also come across this explanation from Adib Taherzadeh: “It is important to note that the mission of all the Manifestations of God in the prophetic cycle, up to and including Muhammad, was to prophesy the advent of the Day of God. Hence they are included in the 'Prophetic Cycle'. Muhammad was the last one among them and is therefore designated 'Seal of the Prophets'. Bahá'u'lláh's claim, on the other hand, makes it clear that He is not a Prophet in the category of those who prophesy, but His station is that of the Supreme Manifestation of God who inaugurates the 'Cycle of Fulfilment' and ushers in the Day of God whose advent had been so clearly foretold by all the Prophets gone before Him. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha'u'llah, p. 32)
The following reference from the Bab puts things in an interesting context:
“If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose.
And know thou that He indeed resembleth the sun. Were the risings of the sun to continue till the end that hath no end, yet there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun; and were its settings to endure for evermore, still there hath not been nor ever will be more than one sun. It is this Primal Will which appeareth resplendent in every Prophet and speaketh forth in every revealed Book. It knoweth no beginning, inasmuch as the First deriveth its firstness from It; and knoweth no end, for the Last oweth its lastness unto It.
In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muhammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the 'Point of the Bayan'; the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God, 'I am all the Prophets', inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun.”
(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 125)
• In light of the above explanations, in particular, the Guardian’s point that the only difference among the Manifestations and Prophets of God is with respect to “their stations and function in this world” and that according to the Bab They are all the appearances of the “Primal Will of God”, let’s read that phrase from Baha’u’llah again and see what new insights we gain from the metaphor of “rivers” (representing previous religions) joining with the “Most Great Ocean”.
• And, just like the way we see in nature that various rivers eventually, one way or the other, join the ocean, all previous religions, according to Baha’u’llah, attain their “final consummation” with this “Most Great Ocean” which He equates with the Word of God in this Dispensation, “a Word shining above the horizon of the Will of the All-Glorious in this Revelation which hath filled with delight all things seen and unseen.”
• Lastly, notice the effect of the Word of God that Baha’u’llah has brought into being. It has “filled with delight all things seen and unseen.” Amazing, isn’t it!? Makes one feel very grateful for having recognized Baha’u’llah!? Let’s remember in our prayers those souls (both this world and the next) who have been instrumental in our journey of recognition and perseverance.
